Abstract
The safety and protection of children is a fundamental issue, which has evoked significant concern for policy makers, researchers and child protection workers, particularly in contexts where children are forced to engage in child labour (International Labour Organization, ILO, 2006). The pervasive trend of child labour continues to jeopardise children’s physical, social and educational welfare; hence, it is crucial that social workers, in particular, are able to effectively address the phenomenon. In Nigeria there is a lack of adequate intervention tools on how to respond to child labour and an absence of a standardised intervention guideline. Hence, this study aims to understand the issues of child labour at the various levels within the ecological system and consult experts in child care and protection to develop a contextually practical intervention guideline to address child labour in Nigeria. The complex nature of child labour requires an analysis that highlights the concerns of child labour and directed interventions at various ecological levels. The factors that are pertinent at micro level include single motherhood, physical health concerns, and the effect of child labour on children’s educational attainment. At the meso level, parental illiteracy, emotional and social impacts, power dynamics on parent-child relationships and remediation services are explored. Finally, at the macro level, unemployment and prosecution of perpetrators of child labour are discussed. Rothman and Thomas’ (1994) Design and Development Model of intervention research is utilised to develop a guideline for social work intervention in child labour. Although the Design and Development (D&D) model comprises six phases, this study only utilises the first four phases, since the last two phases involve the application of the developed guideline for social work practitioners, which is beyond the scope of this study. In phase one the research problem is analysed, involving qualitative interviews with 20 working children and their parents or guardians to understand their perception and experiences of child labour. In addition, the views of nine social workers involved in child labour were solicited to expand the understanding of the context and obtain v their suggestions for improvements in interventions to address the phenomenon. Data was analysed using thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis of the data in Phase One informs the second phase. Phase Two consists of information-gathering from primary data, together with relevant child labour literature to ascertain the understandings of child labour and determine appropriate measures to address the phenomenon. Four subsequent major themes that influence the development of intervention guidelines emerge from this phase. First, the socio-economic contexts of households emerged as a significant theme that influences children’s engagement in child labour at the micro, meso and macro levels. Second, the impacts of child labour are a critical factor hampering children’s education, health and psychosocial development. Third, is the role reversal of parents and their limited parental power at the micro level, which impedes parent-child relationships in many instances because of children’s non-compliance with parents’ authority. In some cases, however, children were in acquiescence with parents or guardians in spite of their income earning role, which balanced their relationship. Fourth, at the ecological level, social work practitioners presented preventative measures and were positive about the role remediation services could play in assisting children to recover from the phenomenon of child labour, whilst at the same time making suggestions on how to enhance their well-being. The outcome of the themes indicates that intervention guidelines for social workers to assist with child labour issues need to be designed. In the design phase, the key objective of this study is fulfilled, namely, to advance an intervention guideline enabling social workers to respond to the phenomenon of child labour. The information provided by social work practitioners are the basis for the suggested strategies and procedures, as illustrated in the design phase. The design process involved designing an observational system of the occurrence of child labour. The procedural elements of the intervention, including the social workers’ roles and involvement with children and parents or guardians, were specified. The fundamental activities of the intervention were translated into sequential steps that vi can be followed in practice by professionals. The components of the guidelines were thereafter offered together with the design product. The guidelines were subsequently pilot-tested in three rounds using the Delphi technique. The draft intervention guideline was reviewed by two social workers in the first two rounds for consensus-building. It was then reviewed by a group of 50 child labour practitioners in a workshop for content, equivalence and applicability. The social work practitioners were satisfied with the guideline, however, a number of recommendations and amendments were proposed by social work practitioners. The suggested changes were incorporated to produce an enhanced set of child labour intervention guidelines. The guidelines are suitable and reflective of the social work practice in the Nigerian context.
D.Litt. et Phil. (Social Work)